Miracles' Empire
by pa1ge5
Summary: Little thing did people know was death isn't the end of everything. When the miracles died, the story didn't end there. Miracles stay miracle, with another journey, another story with strange world with rukh, djinn, and magic and also another identity, meant to change the fate and destiny using the knowledge and miracle they hold. Reincarnation Fic. (Summary changed)
1. 0 The Death of the Miracles' Emperor

It was sad for the whole of rumoured Generation of Miracles who had stepped to adulthood recently.

Aura that lingered in the air was pressuring their heart to cry loudly, but none of them had cried. May be just sobbing and hiccupping, but not beyond that. The dark, faint lamps around them made the situation worse with sadness poured, which had companion with no voice but sound effects like cries and sobs. It sunk the situation to silence that never be liked.

The flowers were assorted with white and black with tissues bordering, so were the attendants. Sobbing and crying sometimes became the common thing in the room and those tears were seeping by the tissues in the hand of the attendants in black and white suit. It felt like burning with flame of sadness that flared their heart, although this flame would be a breeze of coldness. With tight grip to the flower with no torn, the most of them buried and sunk their sadness in their deepest part of heart painfully when they **had** to scream loudly.

There will be no sadness with no reason must be it. So, what could be the reason?

It was funeral in the first place.

And second, Akashi Seijuro was the one had died.

You see, Akashi Seijuro, the man with striking ruby hair and heterochromatic, ruby and golden eyes, was great in any side possible to share his talents' greatness to every side of the world. The self-proclaimed man was far greater than he claimed with not-many sentences declaration, like how much he participated his company to the world stand by its branches, how he had endless winning at shogi, and how he leaded Generation of Miracles to the peak of Basketball World. Another thing, the sentence he had said to show his greatness was far greater, far more greater if that doesn't enough, than his own skills, talents, and perfectness to build the world to where it should be right. It was all real, nothing was out of sense.

And the great man had died, meant the world had lost one of its greatest men, lost one of the brick to build the world, and lost someone who wasn't easy to be changed.

No one knew the case's 5W + 1H, except the facts: "who" the victim was that would be Akashi Seijuro, "where" he was killed which was in his room, and "how" he was being killed which was by being shot with sniper on the neck. The greatest detective Akashi Company had, which meant one of the greatest detectives in the world, had their hand on this case yet only three evidences to be found. First "The sniper wasn't expert to leave a wound buried in the neck", that was for sure, of course… (If you are a sniper, you would aim either chest or head, not the neck, yes?) And second, "he was died when he was sleeping". And third, "No bullet had been found".

It was the first three evidences they could find, and nothing beyond that was found.

It was depressing, of course with that aura existed and lingered more when the breeze blown to them. No exact culprit, suspect, and motive were found… There was really a fat chance since no company wanted to fight Akashi Company which had their own company as a base of everything even comparable to government, if you were asking. Still, hatred was something that showed the strongest and logical point if they turned to motive. So many people hated Akashi for his absoluteness and threats. But at the same time, they had fear toward him because of his rightness that couldn't be fought back with normal hatred.

So what would be the answer?

Let's turn back to the black and white funeral for our great man instead concluding something not certain that who knew it would end…

First would be his father. His father, which was in black suit and his old wrinkled face and whitening hair showed great sadness in his eyes, having his only son and only successor of his company would be a really, really great lost. His rotten skin, age, and experience couldn't hold the sadness anymore when he placed the white flower near his son's photo. And so he cried with tears slowly dropping from his eyelashes because of gravity and landed to the flower, sometimes to his suit. Even a great man like him never got embarrassed at the tears of lost he drew.

"Sorry… I can't keep him safe…" he stopped as taking a long breath and then exhaling it out, his body still shuddered in sadness. Then his hand moved to wipe the tears by the cuff. "Please watch him in your guidance…"

He was apologizing to his deceased wife, if you couldn't guess.

Some next were his relatives. No direct feeling was printed on their face, but probably drawn in heart. Yet, they just showed the great lost because of his greatness as Akashi Company's successor which drew no tears from their eyes. The lost of title was never saddening more than the lost of relationship. The children of the relatives were crying a bit louder because of the fear to the death that drawn before them. The teenagers and adults showed almost the same expression, sadness with no tears. It was fully expected, probably by everyone there, since our great man didn't have many bonds with his relatives.

Next was, of course, Generation of Miracles, the generation of basketball player that was a legend, was a group that the great man once joined.

First would be Kuroko Tetsuya, a man known as Phantom Sixth Man in basketball world with baby blue-coloured hair and formal suit like everyone else, the one that could restrain his sadness with his blunt and usual blank face. He held the white, fragile flower, and took really faint steps to near the front of the great man's photo like he couldn't receive the man being dead. The grip loosened as he observed the photo, flash-backing much pain he felt when losing the great man inside his body.

"May you rest in peace, Akashi-kun…" with that voice, which heard to have great sadness stored in it, he put the flower in front of the photo with his pale hand, loosening the grip and let it fall. Time passed for him for thinking about the man in the photo, who had been given with a gaze full of sadness, extremely teary yet was being able to hold back by the blunt face he wore every time you see him. With another faint step, he walked to the crowd with black clothes that were the same with his clothes' colour, and same colour that could draw the condition that fell upon them.

The crowd's eyes fell to the Phantom Sixth Man, noticing the presence of the man, thought that even sadness made his usual low presence and Misdirection would be so useless to ignore him. The baby blue-haired man noticed a familiar look from his subordinates, and found the pink haired woman that wore black dress with such sad yet full of understanding eyes was looking at him. Slowly, she came over to him with slow steps, holding the back of his.

"Tetsu-kun," she paused for a bit, waiting the man to response her call. The man looked to the woman as the response with his blunt face, yet so depressing hidden in the shell of calmness. With calming tone, she continued with such low tone, almost the same with whisper, but not to make it as a secret, instead to calm him, to assure him. "If you want to cry, just cry,"

Kuroko paused for a bit as looked to the pink-haired woman, Momoi Satsuki with eyes that telling him that his sadness was much readable in his eyes. His eyes shifted to the side, half-lidded, thinking that it shouldn't be better if he hid his sadness much longer. Slowly, the baby blue-haired man sobbed, and then cried a few tears, drew out all of his sadness loudly, couldn't hold it back anymore, even incomparable with much strength he gave in his grip.

"Don't worry, Tetsu-kun… You can cry as much as you want," then she showed her eyes that filled with thought to calm him down as rubbing his back slowly. "Crying is normal…"

With that, Kuroko left to outside with Momoi stalked him with her half-lidded eyes, still worrying the heart of the Phantom Sixth Man as holding back tears. The other Generation of Miracles could think it was a normal reaction because of the current situation. They continued to stare the man with baby blue hair as slowly went out from the place.

It continued with stylish blonde prodigy that being able to learn fast and also infamous in magazine for being a model, Kise Ryouta. With his slack style of his suit yet looked so neat, he could freeze his fans. Yet, his sad face, with such dark yellow eyes was extremely saddening and so fans which saw it would be sad as same as his… pardon me, less sad for being unknowing the relation between the celebrity and Akashi Family's successor which was strong. His hand was holding a white flower that looked a bit wilt. He walked to the front of the Generation of Miracles's captain, sometimes stopped in hesitancy to face his death.

"Akashicchi…" then he put the flower slowly to the photo's front, still couldn't believe that the captain of Generation of Miracles, sometimes visible shudders came through his veins. Full of hesitancy and doubts, he tried to stand up and leave it. With tears escaped his eyes as slowly walked away with fast steps, trying to get rid the sadness quickly out from his heart. But what was a pain was a fact that when you tried to forget, it felt would stuck in your memory, and it happened to Kise's mind. He couldn't forget it.

The second was Aomine Daiki, the ace of Generation of Miracles with tanned skin and dark blue hair. The man who looked like a slacker couldn't utter a word, slowly letting the flower that was in his grip fall. He was still fully in shock with the death of the great man that once leaded Generation of Miracles, probably Aomine had repeated scream of his sadness' pains. He suppressed his sadness inside with those screams as walking away with fast steps and his head that went lower. The great man's thoughts haunted his head, wanted to be ignored.

The third would be Midorima, a man with personality that called "Tsundere" in Japanese slang, with green hair and glasses that seemed his usual appearance, which couldn't even admit the death of the great man, much noticed from his eyes that told every truth about his feeling, the green orbs which filled with sadness about the great man. He had spaced out in front of the photo as the grip of the flower had hardened, almost making his palm bleed. Noticing it, he quickly placed so the others couldn't know about his honest reaction, a reaction that was the rarest coming from the three-pointer. With the faint steps, he quickly stepped out from the pressure he had fought in the deep of his heart.

The last would be Murasakibara, a tall man with purple hair that he left loosened, and usual trademark of his: his snacks on the hand. He had his bored eyes still stuck with him and his hands snatched the potato chips on his other hand, but a clear pool of sadness written in his eyes. He couldn't even print a word like most of the people with the mentally frozen mouth, or even expression like the rest of the Generation of Miracles. Even sweets and snacks on the hand couldn't cure sadness. Stepping out would be his want, but his body felt so heavy.

The rest were saddening, like Momoi cried almost endlessly as crouching down to the floor, letting everything in her heart out easily. The rest of Rakuzan Team the great man once leaded and played with couldn't receive the fact that he had died, mourning his death out. The most active people were showing their sadness by regretting, shouting loudly, with cries, and the one that was cold felt like their faces had turned much worse with frowns. Basketball connected them as a strong relationship.

It was sad, extremely saddening, for the end of a great man's life, with everyone put much sadness and mourns towards him. Even with scissors he always threw to threat, the threat was something not empty. There would be always reason inside the threats of Akashi Seijuro's. It was between his own profit or even other's, and they would know it would be his profit, and theirs too.

It was really a great lost.

Unknowingly, line of glowing birds with two colours: black and white had passed behind them, and a man that stood up on the back of everyone else noticed that line with others not.

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><p><strong>AN: (Read before review, please.)**

**Changelog: September 27th 2014: Editing some grammar errors and editing some descriptions and confused words for better understatement. Oh and adding descriptions but nothing large and crucial... probably.**

**So, it is a random idea … really. But it isn't just leaving my head! So, I guess I will write this.**

**I haven't seen western or Japanese funeral (If you asked I've seen a funeral, I have. But it was kind of tradition connected,), so it would be great if you want to tell me what's wrong with this prologue.**

**And because English is not my mother language, I apologise if there is something wrong with grammar or vocabulary. I don't own "Kuroko no Basuke" and "Magi" and I won't mention it in every chapter. And that's all I want to tell.**

**_"Preview of next chapter: Relive Arc, Treasures in Disguise Pt. 1_**

**_It was suffocating…_**

**_Welcome to the world, my prince Ren Kouji and my princess Ren Kougyoku…_**

**_Faith…"_**

**End note, Feel free to review, comment, criticize!**


	2. 1 Treasures in Disguise Pt 1

It was suffocating, extremely suffocating when your throat was being shot and blood purred out from your mouth and neck, bleeding out like a fountain and giving exploding, dry pain. When you wanted cough it out, nothing was out, like the throat was closed or jagged and make the blood flew to wrong way. The dry skin had been washed by crimson-coloured liquid that brought oxygen over the body, making the place that ran out with out was felt dead and dry. Having it out of body wasn't feeling great with unable to move, especially when someone felt like pulled you out by grabbing your hurting neck, choking you completely.

It was happened to a great man in Japan, Akashi Seijuro, as he was being killed by unknown shot.

The shot wasn't felt like metal cold bullet which was round and sharp which would be buried in the neck. But it was rather hot with firing sensation and free room in his wound, and the skin was felt burnt so much, which was unexplainable. The wound was still painfully blazing around the deep crimson-wetted wound, and the blood had stopped spurting out from his wound. A wound that was unexplainable.

Someone told him that was magic.

Like he was going to believe it that, for a thing that never enter anyone's logic or belief, but the feelings he had told him so. The feelings which was having no more pain after he felt floating and empty, how he was pulled out of his body that felt extremely light and soft, which out of his absolute knowledge could know, were extremely out of places that should be put on. It left with black, plain darkness surrounding him like air with solid material's particles, telling that he should believe it was magic.

In the truth, he believed, he would believe it, and he knew he will believe, because he **had** died and no way back. And also, it was being told by the shot, that he wouldn't go back to his life.

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><p><strong><em>Akashi Seijuro was a great, absolute man that believed victory was always in his hand. <em>**_Was**.**_

**_But he knew that sometimes he could lose the grip of it. Basketball Competition told him so, when he had very first defeat for a long time by a phantom man that he taught, and extremely thought himself as a loser who had lost. Not like he couldn't move on, but he forgot how he would face defeat since he had not faced that for a long time. He cried alone in his room, screamed like no one could hear. Why could he lose?_**

**_But when he had moved on, had known what was wrong with him, had answered any question to himself, he wouldn't let it go again. It was his greatness, his greatness not too repeat the same mistake again. In his life, repeating the same mistake he had gotten wouldn't be happened in his life, ever._**

**_Akashi Seijuro was a great man._**

**_Now he is dead._**

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>

**..**

**.**

**Dead…**

**How completely irritating…**

How irritating it sounded in his heart. Hearing that out loud when someone was narrating it likely beside him, echoing to his ears and bouncing inside his head, was completely irritating. Human can die, so it was usual thing when it happened and faced it. And it irritated him because the death of someone could be a reason to someone to do something illegal and people would think it was normal mind-pressure, and death never affected him to do something like that. They could escape punishment for being a depressant, or at least having lesser punishment than it should be.

That was why he disliked death.

But, he **hated **it when he felt it. Everything hadn't been finished in his world, and now he would be turned to a creature without any real thought and desire that will explore the world in shape of spirit.

**He hated, cursed, screamed about his fate.**

And when would the darkness of death go away?

* * *

><p><strong>A light…<strong>

_'A light…' _he repeated so many times in his head, echoing with his voice's resonance filled his whole mind. How long did he stay without light in his vision? Hours? Days? Months? Years? Decades? He didn't know, since there was no clock or even anything to count in patterned sound. But his head felt so heavy with thoughts and problems as if he hadn't tilted it for a long time. It was probably an unaccountable amount of time, but yet he wanted to hear the round number of time which would be useless if he kept asking to light that was just an electromagnetic wave.

The light which was seen rightly in front of him turned bigger and bigger, felt like it was approaching him and filling his vision with white which caused much dizziness. He didn't flinch in his mind, and also he didn't even get surprised, but much pain he got in his head made him grunts and flinched with mentally cried. And so, he let the white light wrapped his vision wholly even with any angles of view covered with it and slowly turned to scenery.

It was another white, which was actually ornamented with hints of colours, mostly with red and gold-ish brown. He could feel sweet smell around, felt like sweet fusion of caramel and melting butter. He could just stare the front, feeling so hard to move his eyes and would spend much more energy than he sometimes did. The sobs and cries were heard beside him very loudly, as slowly looked to the side of him by tilting his head. He could see a female baby with dark pink hair. Why would he look at her as the same size? Who was she? Why was he there? And all of those questions couldn't be answered by his knowledge.

"My, my, you stop crying? I just think about you would cry more," that language was completely foreign in his ears with accent that undetectable by his knowledge, but he knew what it meant and could compose the word structure. When he wanted to reply with his known language, his mouth felt fully gagged and the sentence couldn't come out. "Just like your sister," he continued simply, coughed once.

_'Just like my sister? I have sister?'_ he thought for sometimes, for a memory in his life that he was a single child. In the end of that sometimes, he realized that it would be useless as changing the question._ 'I should be dead, so why am I alive as a baby?' _then he paused as looking to the dark pink-haired baby beside him. It was easy to conclude as seeing the condition of him for being a vulnerable baby in a man's grip.

_'I was reincarnated… why with my old memory?'_

Instead with questioning himself with no one answered, he observed with his eyes about a room where his baby figure stayed. It was a room with Chinese ornaments and sweet fragrances around. There was a big bed that leaning on the wall, a big wardrobe with Chinese art style printed. Antique porcelain jug was on a stand and arts were framed and nailed on the wall. Something that didn't get his attention away was a man that looked like retired warrior which extremely big in his eyes, probably similar with a cat looking to its master.

"It seems that you got your attention to me," stated the man with the voice same with previous sentence with a smile. The ruby-haired man that reincarnated as a baby with same hair just stared at the man with his eyes, understanding what he meant. "Seems I was right, since your heterochromatic eyes stare me sharply," he continued with a giggle.

_'So I still have my eyes,' _he thought simply as finishing his observation. He waited for any response from the man that had looked at him. There were some gentle touches coming from behind the cloth that covered him. The man lifted him as patting the forehead of his head gently as whispering some songs. The reincarnated man just twitched his eyes when some of gentle songs that felt familiar on his ears were still sung. Then the man stopped and his head went away from him, right hand still patting his forehead.

"There, there," mumbled the man who had his unique eyebrows puckered. He stopped patting his fore head, pulling away his right hand to hold the child figure. "Have you calmed down?" The heterochromatic-eyed baby just pinned his look to the old-faced man, trying to answer him by the look.

"You are always calm, and also being able to answer directly is completely unexpected," coughed out the man, still holding the vulnerable baby with cloth warmed him. The heterochromatic boy just blankly looked at the man while his mind tried to solve what he was meant by that. He didn't want to say any conclusion about that nor even tell anything about that.

"You will live under my care, while learning other stuff you haven't known from me and this world," and he snickered more and it turned to a laugh, big one. The boy didn't flinch nor laugh about it, since he knew what feeling to have no mother beside him. It made a minute pause as the man slowly fading his laugh to a sigh. "But you know more. I wonder what things I should and shouldn't explain,"

"I know you will understand sooner, even now from your eyes. But at least thing to be told first would be your name, the name that emperor gave you," said the man as lifting the baby a little. The one who was being lifted interpret that saying as _"Your mother has gone". _But it didn't surprise him someone that already away from his mother. Although he hoped would be in a mother's lap for seeing a chance for being reincarnated.

"My name is Da Han. Welcome to the world, my little prince Ren Kouji, and my little princess Ren Kougyoku"

_This is not Akashi's life. This is Kouji's life now._

* * *

><p>The boy who named "Ren Kouji" as his name recently had lived as one of noble life with his lowborn status. Yet, you could say that he was far greater in everything than the most of his half-siblings.<p>

Unlike the other child who would be happy when they were be able to walk, Kouji didn't like walking or even playing with others. He also rarely talked to the others beside Han and Kougyoku despites his hobby in studying. He also spent most times in drawing some weird signs and studied something completely weird (Which he admitted as "Alphabet" and "Kanji" to Han and made him swore to not tell anyone. And Da Han just chuckled a bit and assured that his secret would be safe in his hand). Sometimes he liked to spend times with his noisy sister and watched her playing with dresses (Which was he found rather irritating to see a stack of girl dresses, but he just kept accompanying her anyway,).

You could say that he **is** a prodigy to an empire.

In first time he walked, he didn't walk hyperactively or much trained it, since in that first time he stepped on the earth he was be able to walk well even it wasn't perfect. It was completely surprising for Han since it was not usual to see a baby that being able to walk well at the first time. Young Kouji didn't find the praise surprising which only coming from Han, much more of a young child's confidence. Same as practicing basic skills such as writing and speaking until the complicated one such as swordplay and accounting, he could quickly learn it well although no "Perfect in first time".

His study in everything from nature to strategy was also incredible. He could state so many theories (When Han asked him since he didn't have a hobby like telling everything out of his head straight,) from his little head and create many strategies (Which he only shared to Han for no reason and the man appreciated it) which were never created by smartest strategist at that time. So much reasoning, tricks, and theories he could state and create to discover mysteries.

His personality was also strange despite him being a young five-to-six year kid. He seemed to know everything even something that seemed impossible for him to know. He had much knowledge, pride, and even certainty to being so absolute and right maturely. Not like childish pride that sometimes forced something right when it was wrong, Kouji didn't forcefully push something opposing the fact and rightness, which was really surprising for many people.

It was extremely surprising progress from a kid that almost reached six years old.

And when the boy developed his knowledge, the little Kougyoku grew her emotional skill.

Little Kougyoku was a princess with rich expression, despites Da Han taught her to be more emotional than her cold twin (Which Han asked to not tell Kouji at any time) who could be rather moody and sensitive in his young age. Han's reason would be making her as a girl where her twin brother could rest on and to make his and her childhood better with little memories. And the little princess accepted his reasoning and tried to develop herself as the sister who her brother would lean on, and after all she liked it to have a brother, and liked more to have a brother that cared about her.

Kougyoku tried to understand the stuff her brother understood, which ended asking her brother Kouji or Han for explanation (And surprisingly Han could explain some. Probably watching the boy like… scratch that. He was stalking every movement of my brother,). She needed to repeat the same thing sometimes to fully understand and practiced it at same time. But like she ever gave up, the little princess trained endlessly to be close with her older twin by understanding the same thing, so she could be a sister.

Little Kougyoku sometimes followed his brother when she had much free time to spend. She would end up in either study room or just corridor since Kouji rarely went anywhere and mostly stayed in their room to study, draw something, or play a game that the little princess didn't know the name and found herself getting really curious yet afraid to peek. Even when she asked Han, he just coughed and said he didn't know.

Her personality followed her acts. She was very expressive and could draw much expression, showing how active she was there (Although she rarely played with others). How many times she played alone was showing that she was really active, yet so lonely. Sometimes Kouji would accompany her, but the situation would break to really noisy because of their (one-sided) childish argument. Yet she never hated it, so did he.

But, her knowledge about him being prodigy was much lacked, so was every relative's that lived there.

In fact, the relatives from their father's side never cared the lowborn(s) (Which Kougyoku didn't know why and Kouji had few hints to it) and lived with their bloodline. Sometimes the staff of the palace found two of them played on the yard, although Kouji would have a scroll in his hand as watching the Kougyoku played and sometimes joined the boy learning some stuff, so he did the opposite: accompanying his sister. Except that, they would find the lowborn twins rare to see.

The children of Hakutoku's, the first emperor of Kou Empire weren't that often visiting Koutoku's place to play. But if they did, they would rarely find Kougyoku, who was kind of scared to strangers, and Kouji who mostly spent time in studying, lurking around in the palace. The active, happy, and legal children of Hakutoku's never knew that there would be pair of twin which was lowborn.

The children of Koutoku's, the younger brother of the first emperor of Kou Empire, lived in same place with the twins. The sisters of them never cared of them since their lowborn status and just played with others like they weren't existed. And for brothers, they actually showed better reaction to Kouji and Kougyoku, but rarely built real relationship, which was more pleasant than being gossiped.

But, no one did know about the holder of miracle, a prodigy, a reincarnated boy was living between them.

* * *

><p>When Kouji and Kougyoku stepped to six years old, Da Han who sometimes nicknamed as Han planned to tell everything they needed to know that sometimes they asked (Mostly Kougyoku's) about, such as their parents, their past, and their existence as "lowborn" there.<p>

The candle lightened on the little table beside the twins' bed with them sat on it and half of their body covered with red blanket. Their long hair which they didn't like to cut was left loose to where they were leaning, Kouji's to the wall and Kougyoku's to the bed. Da Han was having another lightened candle to put on another table. It was dimly lightened the night that almost reached its peak.

Da Han had already put the candle by its stand to the table where Kouji always studied on. The table itself was filled with neat assortment of scrolls and papers which had writings on. Han smiled a little, happy to notice how young prince (Although hadn't be an imperial prince) studied diligently to learn the world. Sometimes he had curiosity struck about how much theories and knowledge he knew Kouji had known it for very, very long time about this world. But questioning and putting disbelief to the young prince was the worst than anything he had now. He was just young prince and he loved him at all costs, and his love to Kougyoku was just the same.

So instead spacing out, Han sat on chair where it placed near the bed with a scroll on his lap. Kouji who had his focus on the scroll he held now focused on Han's scroll. Kougyoku who almost fell asleep noticed the change on his brother's face got up to sit up and look at Han.

"What is that, Da Han? I never see that scroll before," asked Kouji in their common language, which he had mastered all in age of three. For someone who just met the young prince once would get scared and intimidated because of the sharp and observant heterochromatic gaze (Which wasn't usual for a normal boy). But Da Han had bared it for six years in his life and theirs, so intimidation would be bearable.

"It is my personal journal, my prince," admitted Da Han honestly as un-scrolling the parchment and reading some parts of the words. Kouji didn't change his gaze (Which exactly had no difference with his usual gaze) to Da Han's scroll and face. The one that got looked didn't flinch despite his experience to be looked by the sharp observant boy there.

"Mmh… What do you want to tell, Da Han?" asked Kougyoku, still felt half-asleep as rubbing her eyes a bit. It got Kouji's attention as looking to her with his usual gaze.

"Don't make rubbing your eyes a habit, Kougyoku," reminded Kouji as closing the scroll on his lap. Kougyoku was still half-conscious to notice Kouji's warning which was absolute, so she still kept rubbing. In the young prince's response of that, he pinched the princess' cheek.

"It hurts, brother!" responded the princess as rubbing the red area on her cheek. Kouji didn't chuckle, but instead his signature's smirk written on his face. The young princess just puffed her cheek childishly. Da Han just watched the (maybe) cute interaction between the twins.

"It doesn't hurt much, does it?" confirmed Kouji simply with a smirk. Kougyoku's face just showed that he just hit the bull's eye and empty want to fight her absolute brother. She made big pout and fast took the pillow on her lap as covering her pouting face.

"Moo… Kouji…" grunted Kougyoku, gripping the pillow irritatingly and sometimes repeated it again. Kouji chuckled slowly with his hand covered his mouth. It actually got Da Han's and Kougyoku's attention as fast tilting their head to look at him, but in the end they saw Kouji's signature smirk but no chuckle or laugh.

"You sounded like cow," told Kouji straight, and it made Kougyoku's another big, irritated pout. Da Han just smiled as hearing Kougyoku grunted another "Moo" as if she was a cow. The ruby-haired boy didn't stop smirking, instead his eyes softened to show a joy when his twin pouted in irritation about her brother's mischievous jokes.

"Brother, can you stop teasing me?!" complaint Kougyoku in irritation as stopping her pout, but still trying to hide her face to not be looked by Kouji. Giggles escaped Han's mouth, and he tried to cover it by his hand. Of course, the ears of Kouji couldn't let that escape.

"Just laugh all you want, Da Han," stated Kouji, glancing to Kougyoku who had his cheek puffed more and then Da Han who waited for the continuation of his sentence. "After all, Kougyoku doesn't hate you for being happy by laughing at her,"

"Y-Yes maybe I wanted to make Han-Han happy…" and then the dark-pink haired girl paused for a little a while. Then she held Kouji's shoulder and shook his body insanely. "But, it is the reason to make you tease me, Ji-Ji?"

"Part of it," replied the boy simply even with Kougyoku shook his body endlessly and called him with least favourite nickname (It was completely pissing him off for being called "Old Man" in Japanese. Not like he could complain because of language barrier). Frustrated and irritated, Kougyoku pulled her hand away from his shoulder and began to cover her face to hid frustration and irritation. Da Han reacted by coming closer to her after standing with his journal fell to the floor.

"Prince Kouji…" Han called, using very low voice with his eyes darted to Kouji's place where he found the prince nowhere. Han needed to observe through the darkness that lightened with dim light of candles. Everything but Kouji's presence was found in place. He pulled the chair to the side of Kougyoku's, thinking that the prince went off somewhere.

"Don't worry, she doesn't even cry," admitted someone simply, giving much fright in the dim room. It would be an easy answer for who gives such fright. But something that should be asked was how did he do that?

"Ji-Ji, don't give me surprises!" snapped Kougyoku as uncovering her face. Her cheek didn't puff with redness and tears didn't drop from her eyes which usually noticed if someone cried. It earned some chuckles from Kouji.

"See?" said Kouji in continuation of his chuckles. Da Han replied with a light chuckle about Kougyoku's expression and Kouji's correctness. In irritation, the dark pink-haired girl covered her body with the sheet and rolled herself.

"I'm going to sleep!" snapped Kougyoku as slowly falling asleep behind the roll of blanket that covered her body. In half-panicked and half-curious state, Han came over the princess who looked like a cocoon. The old hand of Han's rubbed the blanket, as asking the young princess to stop pouting. But, he found that the little princess didn't react with his request. The conclusion followed by a snoring sound from the princess behind a cover of a cloth cocoon.

"And I guess she is asleep," concluded Da Han in the end as going to the chair he abandoned for some times. The chair received his body in unbalanced state, and so it knocked and let the retired warrior flew in the air. The quick reflex of the young prince had chased the elder's hand in second and saved the old man. "Thank you, Prince Kouji,"

"And Da Han, what do you want to tell even you make yourself in such hurry?" said Kouji with his hand held his chin's weight. The child pulled the wrinkled hand so the retired warrior could take a good balance for standing. The heterochromatic-eyed boy could feel the throb of the man's pulse sped up. Sigh was heard from the young prince as releasing the grip of hand.

"Thank you, Prince Kouji," then Han crouched to the below of the bed. His hand searched and tried to sense a presence of his journal, but finding none of the familiar presence found, slowly he got up and stood in good balance. When he gazed to the young prince, a scroll had been in Kouji's hand. It had dropped his expression to darkest even dimmed with dark condition of the room.

_'He hasn't read it… has he?' _it was repeating in the retired warrior's head as looking his journal in the young prince's grip. The face of the young boy didn't change and his eyes were unreadable. Da Han could know it as his normal look, which he looked like he knew and predicted everything. Even the oldest son of Koutoku's children never had such knowing, cold, and old gaze in his age.

"I have," stated he simply as tossing the scroll to the man, knowing the question that repeating in Han's head. It gave Han a pause to process what he had said, and then suddenly dropped his expression to the dimmest again. "All of it," and probably Han's expression dropped to the darkest.

"Don't worry, Da Han. It doesn't surprise me more than a zero nor drop my feeling," told Kouji like he really meant that. His eyes showed no worries and the calm expression he had was much more real than when he tried to hide anything. Even his figure was steady like he had faced much worse before. Da Han might be not an expert in reading people, but being a guardian of the twins, he would be the best person to control, take care, and guide the prince and princess. And the conclusion of him was no slight change of his feeling, meant he had known it for a very long time.

"But… How… How did you know, Prince Kouji?" asked Da Han, coughed. A sigh escaped the young prince's mouth as lifting his chin and stopped resting his chin on his hand. Kouji's hands fixed the blanket so it would cover his legs. His ruby eyes fixated to the man and then the red blanket that covered his legs. A final sigh came out before a lengthy story followed.

"You told me when I was very young, that I knew it in such young months," said Kouji, waiting for any reaction from Han who had his eyes completely risen up and mouth gapped when hearing that. Another reaction followed by a "Huh" showing completely disbelief. Then it broke up by a move of his hand, waving in drawn of disbelief.

"Wait up… You can hear me when you were so young? But-"

"Nothing is impossible, Da Han. You know I am right, then why trying to deny?" There was it, the most undeniable personality of Prince Kouji: absoluteness. It would be extremely unexpected for everyone that newly knew him. His absoluteness was always right, from everything he stated to his acts. Not wanting to end up with fighting prince under his guard (and played along with his mind game), Han let it go and decided to follow the story.

"I know and I apologise. I just remembered your gaze that to me," in the truth, Da Han did remember. Just for a man that almost reached fifty, it needed more time to remember than young adult. That sharp gaze was shot by a baby with heterochromatic eyes that filled with wisdom and knowledge was something unforgettable and unusual. "Then how could you conclude it my prince?"

"Do you think accompanied with a retired warrior when you opened your eye and lived without any mother wasn't suspicious at all?" questioned back Kouji, still with his calm tone. No remarkable act came from the young prince, made Da Han concluded it was completely nothing for the ruby-haired boy to conclude something complex. "I concluded that my mother either died or a prostitute. The more obvious answer would be prostitute after hearing the people called us lowborn," then Kouji sighed, resting from the speaking much. After all speaking a tale and theory wasn't something easy after you had lost much energy during the day.

"Why… Why do you know much, young prince?" It was question that always nagged Han's head since he guarded the twins from very little, and that night he let it out the question to leak the answer about a child's existence that had much more knowledge than usual children would. Even the oldest son of Koutoku's children, Ren Kouen in his age wasn't like this.

"I will tell everything you question in your head tomorrow if you put **much **faith on me. This is pretty late," Kouji looked out of the window when crescent moon was visible behind the thick clouds. Gust of winds felt much stronger, even some candles would be put off easily and the branches of the trees knocked the window. Visible eye bag had been growing under Han's eyes and Kouji had some yawns pasted his mouth. "I need more power to answer all of your questions and re-explain everything to Kougyoku,"

"Re-explain?" repeated Da Han in curiosity since the young prince couldn't even make a mistake in his wording. It just meant that there was meaning in "re-explain" more than it looked like. The asked one just glanced at the cocoon that laying down beside him when Han shot him the questioning look. Then it concluded that Kougyoku was still awake and eavesdropping their conversation.

"Kougyoku," Kouji called with much tenser tone, and everyone would know that it meant not messing with the young prince and would do everything he said. The princess in shape of cocoon shuddered in response of that, directly answering that she hadn't fell asleep from her irritation to the end of that serious conversation. She uncovered herself from her clothed-cocoon shape with a smile that begging for mercy with some giggles that did the same. "Go to sleep,"

"Hehehe… Okay…" mumbled Kougyoku in reply with giggles, expecting that Kouji could anger more. Since her skill in guessing wasn't expert as Kouji's, the young princess tried to let it go and sleep with the prince's gaze still on her. Her mouth mumbled prays that his eyes would go away and finally fell asleep. Even with the heterochromatic eyes still fell on her, she could fall asleep but sometimes feeling something uneasy, marked by the grunts in her dream.

"You should sleep too, Da Han. I can take care of myself," said Kouji to the man that had been his guardian for six years. Then he continued simply, "You look awful," with his eye's gaze darted to the old man's face.

In which was pretty awful to be looked at. His face that had grown old with his face's muscles had gone flabby with eye bags under his eyes. The collection of hair on his head had turned to slight grey and some of it stayed black with fully cut eyebrows, almost looked like a point. The outfit of his was just normal set for sleeping, but how loose it made his tanned, old skin revealed.

"That's my line," Han simply laughed after that with his old-ish, crispy sound that heard like a creepy grandfather chuckle as a reply. Kouji just smiled a smile that showed comfortable and happy feeling of his, not like his usual smirk with hidden meaning (And not scared by that creepy laugh, of course).

"Which line? I said two lines," admitted the prince with light chuckles, which already knew the answer would be the first one, but he asked anyway. The old man replied him with some light chuckles.

"Of course not the second one," said he with much confident. "How would a man who keeps someone that's like his own child comments him as an awful-looking kid?"

It was someway silenced the heterochromatic-eyed child, with multiple thoughts rushed to his strong mind. Da Han was not a dad figure like he had felt and known for his previous lifetime. The memory of cold and forceful father who taught absoluteness and great instinct to rightness wasn't like a memory about an old man with crispy laugh and partly toothless smile that enjoyed smile and happiness. For a normal child, it would be not weird, but for him, it was like a rare gem that well-hidden inside the pile of dirt.

"What's wrong?" Han's question broke the prince's silence, as his eyes rose for some stances that was a rare thing to see, which meant he had woken up from his thoughts. It got more curiosity from Han. "You're thinking about something?"

"The answer will be tomorrow," ordered Kouji with his eyes sharpening to him, written with complete "Don't disturb me" sentence inside it. It shut Han's mouth for knowing the prince's current change mood.

"Well. I will take my leave," Han excused as walking towards the door and holding the hand-grip of the door. "Don't think too much, Kouji. I am always worried about you," and he went out and closed the door.

And he was alone with Kougyoku completely sleeping beside him.

He looked to the stack of paper on his study desk, which was full with writing of alphabets, kanji, and shogi pieces that he remembered. Slowly, he walked there and reached the brush near him to write something that would be the answer for tomorrow on a clean parchment. He did it quickly and simply, making sure that Kougyoku wouldn't wake up because of nightmare of something else or someone knocked him still awake in midnight. When he was done, he took the brownish parchment near him that was folded to an envelope-like shape, to contain it with the filled parchment and kept it in secret by gluing with his handmade glue. When everything was done, Kouji put it under his pillow.

"…" he sat on the bed as opening one of parchments that rolled under the bed. It was Han's. He read it thoroughly and silently, didn't really flinch as absorbing the information printed on the parchment. Then he rolled it back as putting it under the bed.

"I don't know a single accident that **he **made would have me satisfied. Bringing his very very very secret and personal diary," he said to himself as laying his own body on the bed. "At least he makes me sure about himself," and then he felt asleep.

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><p>The young prince woke up, he found Kougyoku was still sleeping calmly with soft snores escaping her mouth, sometimes grunted for uncomfortable in her mind which was predictable. Sometimes he stretched his body for getting rid of his body's stiffness. Sometimes he yawned for gaining some oxygen like normal people would. When he regained some of power, Kouji walked to wardrobe and to get changed to his usual set of clothes and prepared for morning.<p>

He tied his ruby hair to a simple tail with a simple hair tie. He wore a common set of clothes there since he kind of disliked special attention from unnecessary people (Person in his 'necessary' people list were only Da Han and Kougyoku for that time), with a special platinum crystal-shaped left earring with ruby on it that given by Da Han. Sometimes he needed to check a full-figure (In their figure's size that time) mirror that Kougyoku owned to do her own fashion show to check the tidiness. When everything for head to the toe was neat enough, Kouji went outside to take a morning stroll.

Slowly, he went outside as finding fresh air in the morning and observing the environment and people after closing the door. Sometimes, he would find the soft breeze wiped his hair and skin. Plants sometimes danced with the rhyme of the nature. His earring was sometimes clanking despites its light weight for a metal. Sometimes guards passed with scared look to the young boy with heterochromatic eyes. Seldom princesses passed with disgust and fear look to him, which he found no surprise there. And he discovered that Da Han was on the way to his room.

Da Han who had his nervousness and enthusiastic drawn in his eyes probably had waited answers for all his questions, and it was fully expected by Kouji who had spent years with him. He was completely in a rush from how untidy his clothes and how red his eyes in thought of the probabilities of the answer in the night and wouldn't be able to sleep.

"Ah, Prince Kouji," called Da Han slowly as walking to the prince that relaxingly stood up in front of the twins' room. Kouji looked at him with questioning look, asking for continuation of his call. Da Han noticed the look as continuing his call. "What are you doing outside?"

"It is wrong to take morning stroll?" talked back the prince as wiping his own ruby-coloured hair out of his sight. The wiped hair sometimes went back to the previous position, which he left loose. Da Han chuckled with low tone as showing his signature old-ish smile.

"Of course not. After all you are never wrong," stated Han with his mouth that escaped his chuckles turned to a partly toothless smile. The praise never gave him much surprise or happiness for how many praises had been given in his memory.

"You are looked much more awful than last night," complained Kouji straight as pointing Han's face which did look much worse than last night with heavier and darker line under the eye much like a panda, a pair of red eyes that coloured the white on his eyes. "I bet you are wondering about the answers…"

"That's because I'm really curious... My son-like prince will tell me everything about himself and put much faith on me for receiving such great mystery," the laugh escaped the retired warrior's mouth with another toothless smile.

It didn't make the prince flinch for a bit as re-opening the door of his room with really slow pace. "We should talk inside. Kougyoku is still sleeping," and went inside with Han tailed him.

The room was filled with Kougyoku's snores that seemed comfortable to be heard of with usual room's décor and sometimes the princess shifted her body. She was sleeping peacefully, probably had gone to a friendly world where the dark pink-haired girl met friendly imaginary friends. Even all of the bed had been occupied by Kougyoku's body.

"She won't wake up for some minutes," told Kouji calmly as walking to the chair that located near his study table where the envelope was placed. Han pulled the chair near the bed which he had used it last night.

Didn't want to spend much more time to holding Han in such awful appearance, Kouji took the envelope that made from parchment and handed it to the retired warrior. Slowly Han opened the envelope without noticing a sudden sharp gaze coming from Kouji.

"Read this paper silently" and he continued to read it silently for very first sentence he read. And he continued it. "…"

It said he was once life in a world, a world with a piece cover of peace that protected conspiracy, cruelty, and corruption. With family that supposed to be happy ever after, now cracked and broken to pieces of cruelty, sadness, and tragedy.

It said he was once drowned to the world that had dread and death as nothing more than disguise. Death was something easy, even with a click or an order, a soul could be reaped.

It said he was once in loving the world with winning and righteous, but these were nothing more than everyone around him. Winning was his food to keep him alive, but everyone around them was more like soul than food.

It said he was once survived with everyone, but when he did he lost them again. He wasn't the one who lost them, but he was the only one who lost.

It said he had experienced it for a long time.

It said he was reincarnated as "Ren Kouji"

And the parchment was signed by **"Akashi Seijuro"**

And which was surprising Da Han less.

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><p><strong>AN (Read before review, please): I actually was half-hearted in putting the end here (So that's why it is crappy end) but I feel that it seems fitting there than my planned ending for Kouji/Akashi and also it needed so much of proof-reading because of new idea I had.**

**And I really like melting butter's and caramel's smell and so I'm satisfied.**

**Trivia of This Chapter**

***Kouji means Red Division (And his complete name, Ren Kouji is like ****練 ****紅司), the last kanji of his given name taken from one of Kanjis in Akashi's name and I remember that it is the last kanji of his family name. I once felt a little naggy about this name, but when I am getting used to it, it sounds so fine.**

***Responding to above statement, if they use Japanese to call Kouji as prince, they will call him "Kouji-Ouji" (Which lit. means Prince Kouji in my knowledge) and I giggled when noticing this. He is suited as emperor, not imperial prince *slapped* that rhyme tho...**

***Kouji isn't extremely OOC in my opinion. Imagine a merge of his "Mother" side and his "Emperor" side then you get rough draw of Kouji's personality. Thanks to Da Han.**

***Kougyoku becomes more sociable because of Kouji and Da Han so the whole story changes. This story means to it: to change the fate.**

***Completely spoiling you for next chapter, but Da Han is used to be an OC but I changed my mind (scissors-ed by you-know-who.)**

**_Preview for Next Chapter: Relive Arc, Treasures in Disguise Pt. 2_**

**_Now it is the time to confront you…_**

**_Oh my, what we have here, Solomon's blessed prodigy?_**

**_I know I can leave this world's fate to you…_**

**End note, Feel free to review, comment, and criticize!**


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